Abstract: A selective release for grippers on a conveyor, each of which has a movable arm and a stationary arm. Arms move toward each other to grip a planar product (e.g. a newspaper) therebetween and move away from each other to release the product. The gripper is biased toward the closed position and can be moved into the open position by the application of a release force. A rocker cam is provided which can move into a position whereby it urges the movable gripper arm into the open position and into contact with a retaining cam. The retaining cam holds the movable arm in the open position for a period of time sufficient to allow the product to be completely released from the gripper.